Page 44 of A Seductive Beauty
I can’t stall any longer, I need to call her. I owe her that much. I owe her the truth. After Percy died and I couldn’t be there for her, I’ve felt the chasm between us growing. I can’t and won’t lose her.
The phone rings over and over and finally the voicemail kicks in. No name, just a leave a message robotic voice.
“Hello, Kayla, I’m sorry about yesterday. Please call me. I have so much to talk to you about. I’m sure you have a lot to tell me too. I love you.” I hang up and slip the phone into my bag, ready to get some pastries done for the weekend crowd.
An hour later I’m working through the dough for croissants when Mrs. O’Sullivan steps through the doors.
“Fiona, there is gentleman out here asking to speak to you.”
“Who?” I grab the towel and wipe the dry flour and small chunks of dough from my skin.
“I don’t know. An American.”
“Okay.” I walk over and wash my hands in the sink before I step out into the main shop. Gael is sitting at his normal table in the back where he can watch everything. I don’t see Seamus but it’s not uncommon for him to take off for Aidan throughout the day. Mrs. O’Sullivan points at a man sitting at a table by himself. He’s older with reddish hair and a receding hairline. He’s dressed in a suit and reminds me of one of Aidan’s men. I turn to look at Gael, but he’s looking down at his table instead of watching me. I stop for a moment as a trickle of fear climbs up my spine. Gael constantly watches me. If I didn’t know better, I would think he was sleeping. I stopped too close to the other man’s table. His hand wraps around my wrist and pulls me toward him.
“Mrs. Tiernan, I’m Rusty. I have a note for you.” He slips a piece of paper into my hand. “Don’t share it with your guards or you will lose someone special.” He releases my hand and stands. “Be quick or another dies.” I gasp in terror and look over at Gael. I see the lack of movement and know he gone. He’s dead.
I can’t form words as I turn back the man and nod. I slip the paper into my pocket and start to turn away from him.
“Thank you for such a wonderful treat,” Rusty says, and he walks out the door.
I rush to the back, plastering a smile on my face, and go straight for the loo knowing that Mrs. O’Sullivan will call Aidan if she suspects something is up. It was one of the promises she had to make in order for me to work here. I open the paper.
Go to your old flat right now or two of your friends will not live to see the morning. Tell no one. Leave your cell phone and any jewelry you are wearing here. You have fifteen minutes. We’ll be in touch once you get there. Sir
I start to panic and drop the note on to the counter. How do I get my bracelets off? I can’t remove them without the jewelry screwdriver Aidan has. I slip my wedding ring off and set it on the counter next to the sink. I pray I’ll see it again. I jerk on the bracelets, trying to pull them off without unlatching them and hurting my wrists in the process. I manage to squeeze one over my thumb, but it marks up my hand to get it off. The other two are stuck tight. My cell phone, earrings, and necklace are next.
Carefully opening the door, I check to see that everyone is distracted and Mrs. O’Sullivan is out front. I slip out and head for the back door as I hear my mobile ring. I push open the door, glad the alarm is disengaged during the day, and take off running down the alley, heading for my old flat. There is no way I can get a hold of Aidan, and I know I could be causing the death of one of my friends because of the bracelets.
I make it to the front door and reach over the doorframe to pull the key from the hiding spot up there. After the day I ran from Aidan without my keys, phone, or purse, the girls decided to stash an extra key up there just in case any of us ever needed it. I open the door and step into the flat I spent so much time in and realize it’s still the same. They didn’t redecorate when I moved out.
“Hello, is anyone here?” I yell, but no one answers. The quiet is so intense it makes the hair on my arms rise. The tension ramps up in my body. What if I’m too late? What if they know I have the bracelets on still and they kill them anyway?
“Hello, Sir, are you here?” Again, I’m greeted with quiet and no noise as I rush from room to room.
I make my way back downstairs and stand in the living room with my back to the kitchen. Arms wrap around me, and I struggle to get free but they hold me tight. I try to turn to see who it is, but their hand closes over my throat and they start squeezing. I can’t breathe. They’re going to kill me.
I think of Aidan and how he will blame himself and never move on from me. But I also know he will torture and kill whoever did this. With that thought, I reach up and fight with my last reserves to get away. I claw and scratch at them. A voice tells me to stop as I fade into unconsciousness, and I recognize it.
Aidan
* * *
As I make my way from the office to the house, I remember that my beautiful wife isn’t going to be home. She’s at the bakery today. I hated sending her back to work, but she wanted to go, and Mrs. O’Sullivan said she couldn’t survive without Fiona’s talent. I gave in, but I’m glad she always has her guard with her. Stepping through the side door into the gun room, I make my way to the kitchen. I smell the baked goods Fiona must have made before she left, and the slow cooker is simmering with dinner in it. I don’t regret marrying her and bringing her into my home. She takes care of me and my brothers every day. She brightens my dark world.
My phone rings and I pull it from my pocket.
“She’s gone and Gael is dead,” Seamus yells before I can say a greeting, and my heart stops. The phone slips from my fingers. I backtrack my steps, leaving the mobile where it fell, and grab the first gun from the room as I run out the door and head back to the office. The loud report of gunshots rings through my brain fog and I drop to the ground. I aim my gun toward where the shots came from as guards surround me. I look up at the office as more guards drag Lex between them out the back door. I jump up and race toward them as I see blood blossom across Lex’s chest. I’m barely at their side when a loud explosion erupts around us. I’m thrown backward, my head slamming into something hard. My eyes fall closed but my body won’t let me relax into unconsciousness.
My head is spinning, and a fog floats over my eyes as a memory of something important, someone important flashes before my eyes. I see my beauty as she was this morning, moving over my body as she rode my cock. I know she’s keeping a secret from me, because every time I squeeze her breasts, she cringes. My beauty is pregnant with my baby. I don’t know if she’s figured it out yet or if she’s keeping it secret from me. But I know I need to get up off this ground and find out where she is. I feel someone pulling on my arm and I’m slid across the ground away from the burning hulk of my former office.
“Aidan. Boss, come on.” Shane’s voice breaks through the fog.
“Where is Fiona?” My voice is rough and gravelly.
“She is missing. I’m getting you out of here before the police and emergency services show up. Can you walk?”
“Yes.” He stops and changes his grip to help me rise up. I stand and lock my knees so I don’t fall over. “What about Lex?” I look around. We’re between the fence and the garage by my home. I don’t see Lex, but I look through the fence and see a group of men surrounding someone on the ground. I try to move toward them.
